Co-parenting 101: Helping Your Kids Thrive in Two Households after Divorce

by Deesha Philyaw, Michael D. Thomas

Overview

A successful co-parenting relationship is as vital to your child's well-being and health as nutritious food or proper exercise. Research, anecdotal evidence, and plain common sense all point to the fact that children are happier, healthier, and better adjusted when both of their parents play an active role in their lives. Studies also show that the trauma children experience in the wake of a divorce or separation can be lessened when they see their parents getting along. Kids whose parents successfully co-parent feel more secure than those who have limited or no connection to one of their parents post divorce.

Co-Parenting 101 is based on the premise that co-parenting is a must, not an option. The involvement of both parents—not just the primary guardian—is the cornerstone of successful co-parenting. This is the first book written by a formerly married couple for whom co parenting is central to their day to day lives, and it offers a comprehensive, personal, and upfront look at how to effectively raise kids with an ex-spouse.

Authors Deesha Philyaw and Michael D. Thomas, the creators of the popular co-parenting website, co-parenting101.org, share their own experiences raising their children together, as well as provide professional advice from co-parenting experts. Through practical tips combined with expert parental strategies, this book a great resource for divorced parents with children.

For parents, less time stressed out about legal wrangling means more time to be fully present and engaged with the children. By learning to put their animosity aside, parents can focus on putting their kids first.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608824656
Publisher:	New Harbinger Publications
Publication date:	05/01/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	904 KB

About the Author

Deesha Philyaw is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in Essence and Bitch magazines, as well as The Washington Post. Her writing has been anthologized in several collections including Literary Mama: Reading for the Maternally Inclined; When We Were Free to Be: Looking Back at a Children's Classic and the Difference It Made; and The Cassoulet Saved Our Marriage: True Tales of Food, Family, and How We Learn to Eat. She is the co-founder of Co-Parenting101.org

Michael D. Thomas works in the financial services industry and is the co-founder of Co-Parenting101.org.

Interviews

Deesha Philyaw and Michael D. Thomas live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Editorial Reviews

Co-parenting 101 offers practical advice, information, and tools for parents that can be easily implemented, as well as a tremendous amount of hope. I recommend that parents read this book not only to avoid problems but also as a manual to consult when difficult situations arise.”
—Susan Pease Gadoua, author of Contemplating Divorce and Stronger Day by Day


“As a marital and couples therapist, I have witnessed how contentious divorces affect both the parents and their children. It can be agonizing. I would highly recommend and encourage those folks contemplating divorce to read this book first. It is extremely practical with many vignettes of actual parent struggles, including the authors' own co-parenting journey. The interview with the authors' daughter is particularly touching and poignant, a powerful message for all divorced parents.”
—Bari Benjamin, LCSW, BCD, licensed, clinical social worker


“An extraordinary book and required reading for separated and divorced parents, as well as mental health practitioners. [Co-parenting 101] outlines some of the possible pitfalls of the co-parenting process with which clinicians like myself are all too familiar and regularly deal with therapeutically. But now we can refer parents to Co-parenting 101 to help them mindfully approach the co-parenting process and examine the array of options they have in their parenting toolbox."
—Robert F. Fierstein, PhD, licensed psychologist


“Deesha Philyaw and Michael D. Thomas have done the impossible. This formerly married couple not only co-parent their children without rancor, but in Co-parenting 101, they teach us how to do it, too. What a helpful, detailed, and realistic guide to a widespread but much ignored situation! This book will help readers navigate the tricky and often treacherous waters of co-parenting with a former partner.”
—Ericka Lutz, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Stepparenting


“As a family physician, I care for hundreds of families with parents living separately. The mental and physical health of children is directly impacted by the relationship between their co-parents. I'm recommending this book to every separated family I see. If parents were willing to step up and consider the suggestions made in Co-parenting 101, their kids would be healthier and far more resilient!”
—Deborah Gilboa, MD, of askdoctorg.com

From the Publisher